Justice Undone
by Asaki
Summary: This is co-written, by Chiosa and Asaki. A story of justice and betrayal. [sort of] Please R&R!!!
1. Death's Toll

LOG FILE LOGIN:  
  
LOG NAME: 195WinnerQuatreRaberba04  
  
PASSWORD: ** *** ******** **** * ***** *** ***** ****   
[to the innocent ones I loved and still love]  
  
--PASSWORD ACCEPTED--  
  
AUTHORIZATION COMPLETE.  
  
  
  
Five pilots. 195 ac. It had been a time of great destruction, great sorrow, great misery. The word 'great' is used only to illuminate the words, though the words are not ones [of the world] of light at all. Words of hate, blood, and injustice. Words of a killer.  
What is a killer? Assassin. Murderer. Not the same. Our language contradicts itself in many places. It is inevitable, and we cannot avoid misinterpretations of wronging, an assassination for an act of murder, or suicide for escape of reality. And yet it was inconceivable during this time to wonder at this, and as we look upon the future it looks dark and bleak.  
As I think back, I cannot remember a time when the world was not crashing down in one place or another. It seemed everything had always been wrong, wrong from the very beginning. A most uncanny feeling for anyone to have, and all of us knew it. And that was most likely the source of our destruction, as I now realize far too late to save my only brothers.   
Yet as brothers we fought, as all brothers fought, sometimes side by side against a common cause, and sometimes amongst ourselves in an internal conflict. This latter was felt to be a hardship, as one may well foresee, but my story is a long and sad one to recall.  
Our first and what we seemed to accept as a leader pilot was a young teenager, more likely called boy than man in appearance but an old, battle-hardened soldier for those that knew him somewhat better. Now that I explain the beginnings of this long tale, I realize that in actuality none of us knew this warrior well at all. He was given the name Heero Yuy, after the first Heero Yuy. The boy was raised to be a soldier-warrior, fearless and intelligent. Born on the L1 colony, he lived through strife and hardship from the very beginning, as the rest of us have as well. Perhaps I do not dwell on detail on his background, but I suppose it is rather impossible to do so not knowing him as well as some of the others might have.  
One of these others would be our second pilot, born on the L2 colony and an orphan. Heero was closer to Duo Maxwell than he would like to admit, and though both are as stubborn as mules and a somewhat strong-headed, they pulled through difficult times together, for the most part. Their stubborn actions would conclude many arguments, though not always peacefully nor without bloodshed. Duo Maxwell grew up nameless and alone with other orphaned children, stealing food to survive. Although I have not heard the correct story from the Duo himself, supposedly he had had a good friend whom he hadn't been able to save from a deadly disease. He had stolen only enough antidote for some of them, and his friend, named Solo, had given up his share for the others to survive. Duo was devastated, and took on the name Duo, proclaiming as long as Solo was with him, they'd always be Duo.  
Not long after, Duo and some other children were caught and brought to the Maxwell Church. Here Duo earned his trademark braid, done by a nun when he refused to let them cut his long hair. He always returned to the church, whether he had gotten into trouble repeatedly or came back on his own accord I cannot be certain. When the church was burned and levelled to the ground, all the inhabitants killed, Duo again swore vengeance and thus named himself Maxwell, Duo Maxwell. Upon his shoulders rests a heavy burden of hate and revenge to fulfill, yet throughout the years he kept his happy countenance and over-confident self to help us through.  
Perhaps I dwell too little on Heero and too lavishly on Duo, but as I further reveal the true strings of this story you may see the reasons and logic behind my moves. And I prefer to think of this as a strategy, for though it is many years past I tend to...refuse, I suppose...that the events ever happened. I never like to think of it, and I felt I needed to record this bit of information lest I forget someday from blocking it out far too long for my own good. It is a sad tale, as I said before, and I must get it all down before it is too late.  
And then my dearest friend. Born on the L3 colony, this young man is quiet, but extremely devoted to both his sister and his work. Efficient and trustworthy, Triton Bloom, named Trowa Barton, is a close friend of mine. He does not speak much about our work we had done, and sometimes I wonder if he were here if he would, every now and again mention the mobile suit Gundams and our missions. He had a case of amnesia, an after-effect of one of my greatest follies. I repent my ever trying to reason logic into finding space and the colonies the target, even though they keep telling me the systems clouded my mind. And though Trowa may be another close friend of mine, he too, did not tell me much of his past. As far as I know, he worked with a great company and while accidentally being a witness to a great conversation, he accepted the name and title of the late Trowa Barton, the original. After that I do not know of his doings, though later on he joined a circus, unknowing that the girl he associated with, Cathrine Bloom, was actually his own sister. And then...the events following I dare not reveal until the end.  
As for myself, Quatre Raberba Winner, youngest and only male heir to the Winner family, I am a great disaster of failure. All my commitments are entwined folly, my problems someone else's put into my own hands to undo. And yet those tangled strings are my doing, my own fault, and brought back to me for punishment. All the mistaks I have made, brought back in a single sharp, stinging blow.  
Arabian and born on the L4 colony, I do not have much to say of myself. Although I have always been told to be merciful and innocent, once the hands of a killer are bloodied, their soul is forever stained with the blood of torn hearts of the friends and family of those you had slain. Once, then forevermore, are the hands of a killer. A murderer.  
Our fifth pilot. I know even less of Chang Wufei, pilot of Shenlong, which he called Nataku. Born on the L5 colony, Wufei supposedly had a wife named Nataku. Somehow or another she died, either by suicide or a murder, I am not sure of which. I apologize for the great gaps in my story, but with no one left to ask and no where to turn I must rely on memory and what little I had been told in the past. I doubt the marriage had been of love, being at so young an age, but Wufei felt a remorse for something, and thus named his Gundam Nataku as a remembrance, or perhaps a reminder. Of Wufei I have more information about his most recent moves, for he is within the area and extremely observant.  
Wufei now wears a serpent writhing upon a broken cross as his insignia, or perhaps as an emblem, I am not sure of which. It is emblazened upon his jacket, which is black, brown, gold, and hunter green, the colors of himself and his followers. Around his neck is a thick gold chain with the emblem dangling from the front, rather like a medallion. I have heard stories about the words engraved upon that particular medallion, but for now I'd rather not repeat it.  
Now that I have accomplished the task of remembering my fellow pilots, I must continue with this story. But it is very late at the moment and as my health is now deteriorating, my sisters urge me to rest. I shall continue this story as soon as I can manage without endangering this mission of utmost importance, my first mission in decades. And now I shall let the loops loose for my story to unfurl.  
  
  
  
--LOGIN SESSION CLOSED--  
  
OP:/195WinnerQuatreRaberba04/  
  
||\Logged Off/|| ?exit/end:  
  
QRW Sucessfully Logged Off. 


	2. Mission Impossible

What is this place? It was a dream, I am sure it was a dream. It couldn't have been a reality, because then I remained in the darkness. It was a dream. The room was completely white. No, it wasn't a room. The walls were no where in sight, and it felt like an endless void of white space, interminable in all directions. Except without stars. And I was alone. Horribly alone.  
I do not know what triggered our argument. I was patrolling a colony in the outer rim with Deathscythe Hell, with Quatre accompanying me. I had been explaining a part of my past, something about Solo. I remember wincing at the thought of it, as I do still now in this white, endless room, yet it seemed oddly different. Then suddenly, Quatre disappeared along with Sandrock Kai. That in itself was strange, because he wouldn't have completely vanished without a trace nor without word. It was later that I hoped fervently that he had escaped and was safe from what had been coming.  
  
  
Duo stepped outside, yawning and stretching. It was still early morning, and the sun had just begun to rise, its golden-pink rays reaching across the sky in brilliant streaks. The view was a spectacular point, directly facing eastward and from atop a ridge overlooking the sea. One felt completely blissful, just standing there, breathing in the smell of the sea and the fresh air. Oddly enough, the feeling was dulled by the nagging touch to look downwards, downward into the deep, watery graves in the sandy graveyard, a strangely mysterious graveyard where great soldiers of the past were buried. It made one mournful, just looking out into the ocean knowing the graves were there, among the great palm trees and blades of grassy plants poking up here and there.  
"Duuuuuu-o!" a voice called from inside the many-roomed cottage. It was opened to all their friends, being a great vacation place overlooking the sea. It was their temporary home while they were still on Earth, and at the time Zechs, Noin, Relena, Dorothy, and Hilde were all visiting. One may think immediately that this was quite crazy with this great amount of people, but they all liked to comment that the more the merrier, and of course this was proven true. They decided they might as well enjoy their time here while they remained on Earth, which would not be long, as they all knew very well.  
Duo turned at the sound of the voice. He recognized the two voices to be Dorothy and Hilde, probably cooking breakfast again. As he opened the door he could hear them arguing about something to do with syrup, and he licked his lips. Pancakes sounded great this morning. Then he heard Relena in the argument, asking about powdered sugar. Relena? No matter. Powdered sugar...?? He didn't want to ask. But then he heard a male voice, fiercely quiet but yet full of steel. He stopped walking for a moment. Of course it was Heero, but what was he doing in the kitchen at this hour and what...he was at a loss for thoughts.  
He had started walking again. Rounding the corner, he saw Noin poke her head out her door. She put a finger to her lips and pointed next door. Obviously Wufei wasn't one to bother this morning.  
"Don't worry about him," Noin explained quickly, vigorously rubbing her wet hair with a peach-colored towel. "He's already been up and about, and he's finished his breakfast long ago."  
Duo glanced at the closed door. The guy had been spending his time alone more often than not, excluded from any activities that went on while their party on Earth lasted. "I guess I wasn't the only one up early this morning," he commented, jerking his head to the side, obviously referring to another person.  
Noin took the hint, and grimaced slightly. "I realize you two haven't been on the best of terms lately, but what is going on?" She gave him a look that required a good answer. Duo frantically tried to think of something that would not lay blame on either himself nor Heero, but of course that was impossible.  
Luckily for him a tall man, wearing black boots and a knee-length black jacket with gold buttons and lapels was walking down the hallway towards them. Duo saluted jokingly and winked at Noin, who blushed and ducked her head back in her room, quickly shutting the door and wondering where she coul have put her suit and boots at a time like this.  
"Ohayou, Zechs!" Duo greeted the older man politely. He had always felt a queer reverence towards Zechs, though he didn't know why he should. Sometimes he even wondered whether Miliardo or Zechs would be more proper, but luckily for him Quatre had been wondering the same thing and had asked long before, Zechs having answered that the plainer the better.  
"Hello, Duo. How is Noin this morning?" There was something odd in the inflection of his voice, almost like he knew the answer long before asking the question. Duo might have known already.  
"Doing just fine, I suppose!" he answered lightly, wondering what he was now to do, standing in a hallway blocked by a soldier and listening to another giving orders in the kitchen. Yet once again he was saved when Trowa walked up behind him, coming from his room, which was across the hallway from Duo's and in between Quatre's and Heero's rooms on the upper floor. There were two stairwells, one a little down the hallway to the right of the front door, and another from the kitchen, which was near the back door. Duo had the only room on the western end of the house on the upstairs, for next to his room was a storage closet, recreational room, and then the bathroom. The girls were in the hallway by the front stairwell, and Noin, Wufei, and a spare bedroom between their rooms were in the hallway to the left of the front door. Zechs and another bedroom were past the kitchen and next to the "family" room.  
"Good morning, Zechs, Duo," Trowa said, stopping in front of them. "I hear breakfast is on the verge of being ready." It was a joke among the three and Quatre, based on last week's breakfast saga.  
Zechs almost laughed. "I am sure it is. Why don't you two find Quatre and head on over?" He looked at Noin's closed door. "I'll be over in a little while."  
Duo grinned, too, despite earlier cicumstances. "Where did Quatre go, anyway?"  
Trowa glanced behind him. No Quatre. "I haven't seen him all morning."  
"Do you think he left to do something?"  
"I doubt it. He didn't say anything." Trowa's eyes hardened like glittering emeralds.  
It wasn't as if Quatre couldn't take care of himself, for as a usual he did take care of himself, and alone, for the most part. But the oddity of it all was quite surprising, especially since the night before he hadn't said that he would be leaving for any amount of time. Duo and Trowa looked at Zechs, wondering if he knew anything they didn't. He shook his head.  
"It isn't like Quatre to leave without saying a word to anyone," he mused thoughtfully. "He wasn't outside when you went out, Duo?"  
Duo didn't really know. "I didn't see him, but I was only just outside the door and I had only gotten outside when the girls called me in for breakfast." That reminded them, and all three started walking, just as Wufei's door opened and the blonde-haired fourth Gundam pilot stepped out, holding a sheaf of papers and a pen in his mouth, attempting to close the door again.  
Quatre looked up and saw them. They looked very surprised. Why hadn't he been more careful leaving? Now he would most likely have to show them all the documentation. "Good morning!" he said, smiling to hide the dismay. He had only been in there for Wufei's signatures, and no doubt no one would believe him. Wufei would be furious. Not a good thing, especially now that...  
"Busy there, huh, Quatre," Duo said motioning towards the stack of paper and porfolios. "We were wondering where you went."  
Trowa's eyes were still hard and cold, but he smiled and greeted Quatre. There was something behind the innocent smile, and it wasn't pleasant to know something was about to happen. He shook it off. He would have to think of it later, alone. "Have you had breakfast yet?"  
Quatre shook his head, pen still in his mouth. He dropped it onto the top of the stack. "Ee. I was just heading to my room. I'll meet you in the kitchen?" It was more like a statement, but he asked it like a question while quickly scooting past Duo and Trowa.  
All eyebrows raised and Quatre knew this was not going to be a smooth situation. He gave a short, quick glance back towards them, and almost ran headlong into Dorothy Catalonia turning the corner before the stairs. A few papers fluttered to the ground, and Quatre quickly retrieved them.  
"Good morning, Quatre," Dorothy said, stooping to help him. She quickly sideglanced the paper. It was a documentation of agreement, signed by...Chang Wufei? What was this?   
"Uhhh--thank you--well good morning," Quatre said in a rush, flustered, sticking one hand in his pocket. He had set the pile down neatly on the floor, the folder portfolio on top to hide any printed material. "Did you have breakfast yet?"  
Dorothy searched his eyes. He was hiding something. "I came in to change my clothes...we made a mess in the kitchen. Or rather, iRelena/i made a mess of everything." She sighed. Quatre noticed she wasn't wearing an outfit he had ever seen before. It was a dress, made of dark green shot silk. Velvety buttons jetted down the back, and a darker green velvet sash tied in a bow at the waist. Simple but elegant, Dorothy struck a look of sophistication.  
Quatre merely nodded, barely noticing emphasis on the Peacecraft queen. Picking up the pile, he began to walk to the stairs, backing up slowly. "Well, er, I will put this away, and..." He stopped. Dorothy nodded, encouraging him to finish, but he lowered his gaze and turned, quickly bounding up the stairs.  
Dorothy continued to walk towards the kitchen, using the hallway she was in to go around to the dining room. She had heard the conversation in the other hallway, and waited, knowing Quatre would probably round the corner and bump into her. And she didn't want to confront the three just yet, so she would take the roundabout way.  
  
  
"What's for breakfast?" Duo asked, coming up behind Hilde. She turned around, surprised.  
"Hi, Duo," she said, smiling. Then, as answer to her question, she waved her hand vaguely in Relena's direction. "We were having pancakes, but I believe we are eating snowdrifts for breakfast." A hint of anger edged her voice, but it was apparent she was trying to stifle it while both Relena and Heero were within hearing range.  
Duo glanced at Relena, sitting primly in the chair next to the head of the table. Heero would sit there, Zechs across from Relena, Noin next to him, and Duo would most likely have to sit next to Relena. He could probably switch with Hilde, but perhaps it wouldn't be a good idea. Usually Hilde and Relena got along, but like himself and Heero things weren't going well from what he could see. Unless Trowa or Wufei decided to sit at the other head end of the table, then he could move down a seat and leave a place between himself and Relena. Quatre and Dorothy would sit across from them, and the 10-person table would be filled save that one seat.  
Noin and Zechs came in and sat down. Heero had disappeared sometime during the commotion of people coming in, and Quatre had taken a seat between Noin and Dorothy. Duo stood behind Hilde in the kitchen, watching through the serving window. Trowa sat down next to Dorothy, and Wufei came in last, taking the seat directly opposite to where Heero would be sitting. Perfect. He ushered Hilde to the end seat, then plopped himself down next to her. Hilde did not sit down immediately, waiting for some signal to get the pancakes to serve. Finally she went back into the kitchen, followed by Noin and Dorothy. Relena remained put, talking to her brother.  
Breakfast passed by quickly. Nothing was really out of the ordinary, though a tension seemed to hang in the air. Wufei was stonily silent, gazing about at any given moment. Heero was talking to Zechs about some military air base, Relena inserting her opinions and ideas. Quatre was oddly ill at ease, shifting about and glancing around nervously every now and then. Trowa rarely looked up, but he spoke when he was spoken to, and Dorothy was chattering away to anyone who would listen. Duo thought to himself that it would have been wiser to put her near Relena. But it couldn't be helped.  
Noin was talking to Zechs, sometimes to Hilde, and sometimes to Quatre and Dorothy, but she remained out of conversations that required her opinion or ideas. As for himself, he watched and listened to eacj conversation as best he could. From time to time he would talk to Hilde, and they'd comment on something someone had just said, or just talk. Breakfast was unusually individualized.  
Afterwards all the girls went to clean up and wash dishes. The remaining young men went about their business, doing their own chores that needed to be done daily. There was a list on the wall for the dirtier, less wanted jobs such as bathroom cleaning, clean-up of the memorials, and the cleaning of the gigantic recreation room. Today Duo had the clean-up of the memorials, a job he did not enjoy but did not hate. It merely was a task to do during the day, a part of the usual cycle.  
  
  
The sun was midway to its noon point, about forty-five degrees to the zenith. Duo paused in his raking to look out at the sea for the third time that morning. It was a glorious view, and evoked a feeling of pure joy and tranquility, a peace and happiness. The gentle zephyr played with the palm trees, and Duo's chestnut hair waved in the air. It was half-braided, tied, and the remainder hung like a ponytail of a girl. [in other words, the braid was done halfway then stopped]  
The memorial was for the brave soldiers who had died during battle in the years past, both for the Earth and for the colonies. Many of the tombstones bore no name, no identification. As Duo levelled the sand with the rake, he read the epithet and epitaphs evngraved upon the carved stones.  
Suddenly he glimpsed a tall, thin figure with a dark head moving towards him, coming down the steep stone steps that led from the seashore to the back of their cottage. It was Heero, looking rather sullen, his hands thrust in his pockets.  
Duo waved, in spite of himself. He didn't know why he did it, maybe because it was natural, he really didn't know. For the past year, his usual hello was accompanied with a wave. But he had always been on decent terms with the pilot. That is, up until their last mission.  
"They're needing your help, back up there," Heero said gruffly. Duo wondered why they sent him for such a message. He was sure there was more. And he was right.  
"Okay. I'll put this up and finish the gardening first, though." He raised an eyebrow, not moving.  
Heero glared at him. He obviously was not here by his own decision. Or maybe he was. Neither spoke nor moved for a few moments. Finally Heero stooped over to pick a weed from the mass of petunias in front of a grave, speaking in a low voice as he did so. "They set fire to three community hospitals and destroyed all cities on the fourth division on the L6 colony."  
Both eyebrows raised. Duo waited.  
Again in a low voice, he continued, never looking up. "The supposed late Lady Une and Sally Po, as well as Iria Winner, were seen among the conspirators, but it isn't proven. They also claim that Wufei and Quatre were with them." At this Duo started. Wufei and Quatre? What were the two doing on the L6 colony, and in the middle of a raid? It was pure bafflement. And why was Heero telling him this?  
"We've been put on patrol. I will be guarding the L-colonies along with Trowa and Wufei, while you and Quatre take the outer rim colonies. We will come back to report and switch stations in seventy-two hours sharp. If there are any problems, send a blank mission statement to Zechs or Noin and a regiment of mobile suits will be sent out as soon as they can manage. Finish here." He concluded abruptly. He seemed to want to say something else, but stopped. Duo did not nag him.  
This couldn't last longer. Duo grinned. "No hard feelings, eh, Heero?" He would have liked to give him a friendly punch, but not knowing how Heero would take it he thought better than to risk it. And a wise decision, because Heero was in no mood to agree to truce. He simply turned on his heel and began his slow trek back up the stony steps to the cottage, hands in pockets once again. 


	3. Slain Are the Innocent

"Two more hours. Everything okay over there?" Duo called through the speaker, watching for the screen to pop up. It did promptly, and Quatre's face filled the square.  
"Hai, 70 hours and 2 minutes. This mission shift is almost over." He looked off to the side at some dials on his panel, then looked forward again. "I don't see anything out of the ordinary over here."  
It was just as well, that there was nothing amiss. Duo didn't know whether he liked being this deathly bored or being a milimeter away from a swordpoint that would blot out his guilt-ridden life forever. Yes, he decided, the swordpoint was much preferred.  
Quatre's screen had blinked out immediately after transmission, so Duo put on his radar. The only objects that were foreign in the area was Deathscythe Hell [custom] and Sandrock Kai [custom], plus a radar satellite and a scope orbiting the colony in a wide ring.  
The seconds ticked by. One....two....three....four......six...Six? Was he so bored he couldn't even count any more? Or was something controlling his thoughts? He felt a strange shadow pass by, but could still see nothing on the radar. He turned around twice, seeking out his enemy. Then he realized the enemy was within himself, in his mind. Something or someone really was playing with his thoughts, manipulating him, and it was irritating him.  
There was a loud crash behind him, an explosion. Nothing seemed wrong with it, for it had seemed to be two space objects, perhaps large meteors, crashing together. But what would create an explosion, like that of an explosive device or bomb?  
It was then that he realized the truth too late. Sandrock Kai [custom], along with Quatre, had disappeared! Duo moved along an orbiting route to where Sandrock Kai [custom] had been stationed, and to his great dismay there was nothing to be seen except scattered rock and debris. Then, on his radar, appeared two unidentifiable objects coming at great speeds, and towards the spot he had been in only a few minutes prior. One laser beam and a string of scorching flames warned him that his life had been at stake, and his own friends were turned against him. Who had manipulated his path, then? Who had the power to do something like that? But there were no bullets, nor machine gun products. Then where was Trowa? So many questions...  
There was no time to think about them. Already he could see that the two fellow Gundams were approaching, and approaching quickly. If he didn't move now, he would have to fight them, one against two of equal ability. The odds were not good.  
A thought popped into his mind. This time he was certain it wasn't his own idea. He slipped back into the shadows, becoming invisible to the naked eye. Radar couldn't catch him, his invisibility technique bested technology. But would it fool a Gundam, like himself? He highly doubted it. And besides, both Heero and Wufei knew how to seek him out of his invisibility. It was not safe.  
But what to do? He quickly looked around him, searching for something he could use in his aide. His eyes glanced upon a small opening in the orbiting satellite dish, one that would house a great cannon beam or laser of some sort. It was directly underneath the receiving piece, which was even stranger than the fact of having such a large aperture to begin with. Then he had an idea. If he could just get both of them directly in line with the laser...  
Another loud boom interrupted his thoughts. He quickly typed in coordinates and swung his view around. They were approaching the sector directly to his left, but were blocked by something, or someone. He turned his Gundam and peered through. It was Trowa, with Heavyarms Kai [cutsom]!   
"How did he come to be here?" Duo wondered aloud. He didn't attempt to contact Trowa, lest it created some sort of signal that would be picked up by the other two. Trowa was helping him, in his own way, or at least that was what it seemed. But how could Duo know, for sure? He had once thought that Heero and Wufei were trustworthy, at least to an extent. But Heero idid/i always have that reputation for being a turncoat. Duo remembered saving Heero and then getting parts stolen...how he hated Heero at the moment. He had sworn never to forgive him, but things didn't turn out that way. Teamwork was a difficult thing to manage as it was, and when Heero was involved it became an impossible mission.  
It occurred to him that the crash from before may have caused Quatre's Gundam to dissipate, but it probabaly would have annihilated not only Quatre's Gundam, which in itself was very unlikely, but the colony, himself, and above all the other three Gundams and their pilots. Was it the laser cannon in the satellite? Whatever it was, Quatre was most definitely gone and was most likely dead, for all he knew.  
Another crash. This time, the sheer force flung him back against the meteor he was hiding behind. He tried to hug its shadow as best he could, but he knew sometime they would see him. He hoped that the orbit the meteor was cycling on would not change course, for it would then be his responsibility to make sure its path would not cross with any colonies or inhabited planets and if it did to alter its course to a safer route. That would also sentence his early death, for it would reveal his exact location and make him vunerable to a direct attack from perhaps all three Gundams.  
He didn't know, he needed to know. Was Trowa helping him? Another blow shook the meteor, and he saw Heavyarms Kai [custom] fly into the scope orbiting the colony. He wondered how long this would last, especially if the damage on Heavyarms Kai [custom] was as bad as it looked. If Trowa was holding them off, and he didn't know where Duo nor Quatre were, who or what was he defending? The colony? No, that wasn't possible. He must've known Quatre had been gone, and Duo was in hiding. It was safe to assume he was on their side. No. His side. Quatre could no longer be counted hereon out.  
Then the shock he had been dreading came. The great explosion on the meteor itself threw him off completely, sending Deathscythe Hell [custom] spinning out into space. It was all Duo could to to keep himself from joining the extra debris on its rondevous around the giant orbit.  
Unfortunately for him, all three pilots spotted the Gundam.  
Heero calculated his location. "So that's where he was," he muttered to himself, at the same time scolding his ineficiency. All four needed to be killed, and killed soon. "One down, three to go."  
Meanwhile, Wufei was battling Trowa. He had him pinned to the scope, and Trowa was out of specific bullets. He dropped the heaviest machine gun, lightening the weight on his shield-arm allowing maneuverability to increase greatly. It spun out of control, plummeting out into space. He barely dodged a death-blow, and somehow freed himself from the scope's arms.  
"Duo! Do you read?! Duo!!!"  
Duo fumbled with the speaker headphone. It had been shut down in his attempt to draw enough energy to throw off his spin and keep in stabilized.   
"Yes! Yes, I read you! Are you okay?!" he shouted back, wondering what caused this mess. Trowa certainly did not look like he was in a good situation, but Duo knew he wouldn't get an answer despite any major problems he could be having over there.  
Trowa again dodged a blow, and came up behind the radar loop, which was nearing the satellite dish. Soon he would be cornered between the two and something had to be done. "You need to find the self-destruct program and activate it! Do you read me!?"  
Duo became exasperated. What was the guy doing? First off he didn't answer whether he was okay or not. Duo had known quite well he wouldn't answer, and brushed it off. But the self-destruct program? Was he trying to get them all killed at the same time, or what? Finally he replied. "Fine. But you will owe me a major explanation!" Then he shook his head. Neither of them would be alive by the time this was over.  
Trowa gave a slight nod. He knew, too. Then his face disappeared from the screen, and Duo was left to find a system whose location was not revealed to him. He groaned. It would take major searching to find this system, a very dangerous and extremely well-hidden item.  
Duo watched as Trowa attempted to block his opponent's blows. Both were skilled, and it would be a mental battle. He could do nothing about it, and slipped behind another meteor as it went past him. He was hoping aloud, hoping that Heero did not see him.   
The satellite's orbit was coming up, as well as the radar. The scope, which was supposed to pass in front of the meteor and possibly come in contact with it, had been destroyed and thrown off course by Trowa in the battle. Duo frantically tried to keep himself hidden while flying behind the radar. It crossed with the meteor, though he was exposed for a few seconds. And he immediately realized Heero had been watching the entire time, waiting for a good shot. And here was one opputunity. The radar exploded, and Deathscythe Hell [custom] was jolted backwards.   
Duo looked up. He was shaken, but not hurt other than bruises and scrapes. His Gundam seemed to be in decent shape, and he searched the radar. Heero had come up behind him, and wasn't in close-combat range. That gave him approximately--he quickly calculated--eight seconds to locate the button and activate the system. He had found that the satellite served as a base for the self-destruct system, and was shieled from any blows it might receive. It would be difficult to break that barrier, let alone get the job done in the few seconds he had.  
As Duo closed in on the satellite, there was a large crash. Wufei had lashed out towards Trowa, and rammed him against the radar just to the left of Duo. Well he has a repetitive tactic, Duo commented silently. It wasn't a usual thing, but if something could be sacrificed to use the technique it was usually done without question. Then he spotted a figure walking along the side of the satellite. He looked again, and it was gone. He was stunned. It had looked like Quatre, but it couldn't have been. He was gone. Then he understood. It was a message. He had to leave his Gundam in order to access the button.  
A direct shot threw him violently out of his reverie. He glanced back. Heero was waiting to see what he would do, so he could stop him. But if he could kill him first, Duo noticed, Heero would do it without a second thought.  
"K'so. Damn that Heero!" Duo cursed loudly. He quickly scanned the satellite for places to land. He desperately needed a diversion. Heero was watching him far too closely.  
There again, was the loud, crashing boom, and the shock that jarred him almost unconscious. But it was very close this time. Trowa had managed to evade Wufei's swing, and forced both Heero and Wufei to move out of their current positions to avoid hitting one another. It was a brilliant plan, and Duo thanked Trowa silently, beginning to see the pattern in Trowa's ways and did not attempt verbal thanks.  
"Time to get to business," he said, hopping out of his Gundam and onto a space rock, taking care to hug its shadow. He spun around, floating in the gravity-free space. He tried to hop every few steps as often as he could to keep from drifting completely off track, and finally he managed to land on the satellite. He walked along [or hopped, rather] the narrow passage behind the satellite, and came to the door. There was no button, no code to punch in. It was hidden between seams, but it glowed faintly when Duo felt around the edges for a handle.  
"Now why didn't he tell me what the password was?" he protested aloud to himself. Then something strange happened. The glowing edges were actually words, that spelled out:  
  
  
"To the innocent ones I loved and still love"  
  
  
There was no name, no signature. But Duo knew whose words they were, and finally wailed, partly out of frustration and partly of pure compassion, "Quatre! Damn it! Where are you?!!?" And to his surprise the door shot up, granting his passage for a short three seconds before quickly slamming down.  
Once inside, Duo closed his eyes and muttered, "Where ever you are, Quatre, I thank you for being loyal to the end." To himself he added, "And I mean that honestly, this time."  
He looked around. It was pitch black, except for a little slanted, milky light shimmering in and out behind winding turbines at the end of the hallway, dashing shadows this way and that. It provided the perfect dead end. But Duo knew better. Walking up to it, he quickly scanned the walls for clues. He didn't have much time, for upon his entrance he was informed by an electronic voice that he would have approximately two minutes to find it and get out, for the door would open for three seconds, allow another minute for him to evacuate, then blast the satellite. The main reactor was found on the colony itself, he was told, as he listened while he searched. The colony was actually uninhabited, and had a hostile evironment not suitable for anything but scientific testing and other useful studies.  
Then he saw it. At first he thought it a piece of unnecessary rubbish, but as he glimpsed it a second, third, fourth time, as the metal plates of the turbines wound around and around, he caught it in his fingers and pulled it out. It was a letter.  
  
  
Left turbine. Three plate, black line. Damn. Love. Death.  
  
  
What the hell? Duo quickly memorized it carefully, then slowly let it drift into the turbine, and watched as it became tiny scraps of unidentifiable fibers of paper. It had been written in Quatre's hand, and now Duo was suspicious about the entire ordeal. How had he escaped, if he had at all, and how had he known beforehand? Or had he known the inevitable and went ahead and planned for Duo's and Trowa's escape from the other two pilots? The questions were piling up, and none were being answered.  
He hurriedly went through with the instructions. Button to the left of the turbine. Push three times, pull out the plate aligned with the black mark on the wall. Push button, replace turbine blade, push first button once more, and get out, fast.  
The door opened as predicted, and he tried to conceal his exit. No luck. Heero saw him, as well as Wufei and Trowa, for they were battling practically on top of the satellite. As the meteor brushed past, Duo tried to catch hold of Deathscythe Hell [custom]'s head adornment, and missed. As he frantically grasped at empty space, Heero fired a shot directly at Deathscythe, attempting to throw him off. Out of sheer luck, or maybe intent, he didn't know, the meteor was blown off course and he crashed into Deathscythe Hell [custom]'s head, getting the wind knocked out of him. As he gasped in his space suit, Heero prepared to fire another shot.  
It wasn't going to happen. As Wufei and Trowa battled, Trowa had been drawing it towards Heero. With a blow, he managed to shove Wufei into Heero's pathway. If Heero attempted to fire, he would miss Duo completely and get his supposed ally instead. With a complete change of plans, he aimed directly at the not-moving Trowa, who was already battered badly by his one-on-one space battle with Wufei.  
"Trowa! Get out of here! The mission is over! Damn you!" Duo yelled into the screen, hoping the transmission would send and Trowa was conscious to receive it and had the sense to leave. He was slightly relieved when Noin sent another transmission granting his request to get Trowa out of the mess when he did escape and give him medical attention. Duo knew that was what Quatre would have done, had he still been alive. But Trowa wouldn't listen. Duo instinctively understood the stubbornness, but it was irritating, anyway.  
He watched as Trowa backed down onto the colony. Wufei let him go, and disappeared behind a broken piece of space rock. Heero turned, and dropped out of the viewscreen, going downwards. Duo breathed in sharply and held it. They were coming.  
Suddenly they were upon him. Wing Zero took the first move, while Wufei maneuvered Shenlong around to the side to guard. Heero thrust his laser beam cannon up against Duo's shield, causing a great clash. Then Duo jumped up and back, then brought his scythe down upon the cannon. Heero was forced to move backwards to remove the cannon from its position and aim it towards Duo.  
"Wufei!" Heero called. Nothing happened. "WUFEI!!!"  
Altron's great trident-beam spun and raised, then lowered. The front hatch opened, and the pilot stepped out onto the platform, posture stiff and proper. "I will no longer participate in such a dishonorable battle. It brings shame upon Nataku, and also to myself. Justice will not be found in this way. We were created to protect the colonies, not to fight for peace." With that, he closed the hatch and boarded a carrier-craft nearby that was hidden under an icy ridge on the colony. Heero cursed under his breath for his folly, the carrier-craft being his only way out in disguise. He would have to fly back...with no energy left whatsoever.  
The laser from Deathscythe Hell's shield found its mark directly in the upper part of Wing Zero's head, creating a deadlock. Heero had neglected his battle while being caught up in the betrayal, and found himself without his laser cannon activant. He would not be able to use the cannon, so he flew into range of the planet, drawing Duo with him. He let the cannon fall onto the icy tundra of the colony's surface, and a large flurry of icy pieces flew up and blinded both of them. He cursed, long and loud. How could he have forgotten he was facing an opponent? So unlike him. But a strange feeling hung over his head, a feeling of utter defeat, betrayal.  
No time for anyone to think. What the hell was going on? Duo didn't know what had happened to cause all this, and he was sure he wasn't going to live to find out. If Heero took his saber out, he could already pronounce himself dead, being in the position he was in. How did he get himself into a deadlock, anyway? It was the most uncomfortable position to be in and psychologically bad for the mind. What did he care, if he was going to die? He sighed as a feeling of utter helplessness flooded over him, and waited. 


	4. Assassin Angel vs. The God of Death

[author's note: Please disregard the extreme weirdness of this fic; I know it is very strange but I got sick of writing about a drawn-out battle so it is shorter and very terribly written...gomen ne maybe sometime I will rewrite it...]   
  
  
And waited. When nothing happened, he began to really worry.  
Heero made no attempt to move. He was slowly recuperating, eyes closed, working out the knots in his mind, creating a psychologically perfect shield. This would be the final trick he would ever play on Duo, if it even worked at all. When he had agreed with Wufei, he had thought it was part of the mission plan. How wrong it was. And now he had to fight it through, and perhaps kill not only himself but maybe his only true friend. He never openly admitted it, nor even admitted it to himself, but he did actually consider Duo a friend, rival, stubborn pilot, jabbermouth, whatever the case was, and even if Duo may not have realized it but he didn't save Heero twice for nothing. It was sort of a mutual agreement that neither really accepted. A strange bond that just didn't work out in the mind.  
Heero's eyes flashed open.  
Duo caught his breath as the saber lashed out and came up, coming down with an amazing force. Out of the deadlock momentarily, Duo quickly moved back and over. Too late. Receiving a heavy blow and a deep rut in his left arm, his shield, he sat down, hard. In a feeble attempt to recover himself, he managed to find himself in another bad situation. He had been standing in a dry creek bed, surrounded with strong ice and heavy snowdrifts. The tundra stretched out for miles in every direction, though around the long creek high banks were piled with icy snow. His right foot had gotten stuck in the drift when he was forced down, and without the left arm to support the Gundam he was immobile.  
Heero slashed out again. His opponent lost the entire left arm. He took two steps forward, and held the saber point at Deathscythe Hell [custom]'s throat.  
"Are you ready to die?" he said, his voice fierce and quiet.  
Clutching at his side, fist clenched, Duo opened one eye. The pain was excruciating. He could barely see, odd colors flowing over and blurring his sight. He could feel a wetness coming from his side, and knew that very soon if he wasn't dead yet he would be. His head was throbbing, and he felt light-headed and dizzy. Yes, he was very ready to die, and not for the first time in his life.  
He let both eyes close again. "I am ready to die, old friend. Stab me, and stab me fast." He opened his eyes again, without realizing he might as well keep them open because he couldn't see, anyway. Then he whispered, "I'm sorry, my Deathscythe. Maybe someday in Hell we can meet in better circumstances." He let out a long, melancholy sigh, and leaned back, letting his hands drop. A pool of reddish liquid was forming in the cockpit, and his clothing torn. He shook his head. "What am I talking about? Better?" He chuckled softly, then choked and coughed blood. "Heero! Kill me!" he shrieked desperately.  
Heero edged closer, the saber grazing across the neckpiece, leaving a burned line. What was he doing? Wasn't Duo his...no. He was his enemy. Most definitely his enemy. Or wait. But why was he hesistating? He had his orders. The saber came to a rest, tip on Deathscythe Hell [custom]'s remaining shoulder. A voice was screaming inside him to save Duo from his misery, but he couldn't obey it. Then suddenly he couldn't stand it anymore. He began to raise the saber.  
  
  
Wufei approached the machine-gun covered Heavyarms Kai [custom], attempting to connect with the pilot. He began his conversation, knowing Trowa was listening, even if it didn't seem that way.  
  
  
CRASH. Wing Zero was thrown backwards by the sheer force. Heero looked behind him.  
"Stop immediately, and step out of your Gundam, Heero Yuy." The voice. He knew it. It was Zechs, intervening in affairs not his again. When Heero did not move, he went on speaking. "What do you think you are doing? This is your fellow pilot!" Zechs turned the Mercurius around. In his mobile suit, his eyes narrowed. "By the rules of chivalry, you do not take advantage of the wounded. But I see this is not the case, being of this day and age."  
Heero looked up. Long ago, in his past, he had been told to always obey the rules of chivalry. It hadn't occurred to him since, and now it stirred things far back in his memory that he refused to think about or mention. "Do I have to kill you, too?" he asked, quietly.  
"Heero! Are you listening to me? You need to help Duo, and get out of here, fast!" A change had come over the soldier's voice. It had a tone of urgency, fear, even.  
"Huh?" Now Heero was slightly confused. He hadn't even known what he was going to do. But helping the other one was not one of his options. He shook it off. "This is a mission. I must not fail."  
Zechs became exasperated. "This is not a mission, and unless you want to be killed--"  
"I am a dead man."  
"You are just a man in a boy's disguise," Zechs retorted coldly. "Leave now, or face the consequences."  
Heero laughed. It was harsh, bitter. "Don't begin a battle you know you cannot win."  
"I may not be victor, but look at yourself, Heero, look at yourself. My sister is standing not more than one hundred feet from the person you wish to kill. She has been awaiting her death from the very minute you told her it was inevitable. And you are weakened by new emotions. I am not seeking to win," he paused, static overpowering his transmission. "Rather than to merely create an understanding."  
"Then there is nothing else to be said, for there is nothing to be understood."  
Zechs felt a twinge of sorrow. He had not wanted to do this, but now he saw he must. "What of Relena?"  
"She shall die with the rest of us, as her wish."  
He was right. She was waiting for the day Heero would kill her. A small, bitter smile played at the edge of his lips. "How clever," he muttered.  
And so the battle began, one on one, saber to saber.  
  
  
Trowa was injured terribly. He could barely move. But he had to. Wufei was taking advantage of him, and he needed to get away and find the self-destruct button. Duo had done his job well, and now it was his turn. But how, and where?  
He agreed to whatever Wufei was saying. He played sick, lost, and mentally gone, but he knew what Wufei was doing. He had formed his own ideas, and wasn't listening to anyone. His justification for those who had died in the hands of an enemy was still running strong. Death to all those that killed, and finally a suicide to cover it all. That was his idea of justification. But perhaps not entirely his own. In the past, Wufei wouldn't have been that crazed to even start to think of it. It was pure stupidity, nothing else to it. Someone or something must have taken him into their grasp. But that was a difficult task as it was.  
He vaguely heard Wufei talking about the self-destruct program and perked up a little.  
"...to let Duo get into the program was because they are all going to die, anyway."  
Trowa nodded. This would work out just fine...their ideas were the same but for different reasons.  
"The button is in your Gundam. I--"  
He was cut off but a terrific crash and explosion. Both turned, though only Wufei saw what had caused the great noise, for Trowa was now having difficulties breathing and could not move at all. He inched his battered Gundam forward slowly, taking care not to let Wufei notice. He gasped for breath; some of his ribs felt as if they were being ripped open. The meteors were very handy, he thought to himself sullenly, gripping at its shadow as best he could. All he had to do now was wait, wait to come around again.  
Wufei turned back. No Trowa, no Heavyarms Kai [custom]. He smirked. Death was on schedule.  
The terrific crash had been Deathscythe Hell [custom]. Whether Duo had been in it or not could not be determined, and Wufei wondered what had caused it.  
"What a sorry louse," a voice whispered softly. Great pools of green-blue peeked mournfully over a hydrogen needle-rocket view-screen from inside the satellite base. "Please forgive me," the shadowy voice choked out, taking aim. The needle-bomb took off, piercing through the air and went straight through the heart of the Gundam. There was silence for a split-second, then the Gundam exploded.  
Trowa glanced back, wincing at the pain the sudden shock the explosion had caused. Wufei had been disintegrated. Or, at least, his Gundam had. He checked his radar, being extra-careful. He didn't know who was causing all this, and didn't intend on finding out before his death.  
  
  
"Ca...can't....go...any...furth--" Duo gasped, slowly dragging himself across the icy terrain. Zechs had been thrown down, and he was unconscious. Relena rushed forward and pulled her brother into the dried, icy creek bed, trying to wrap his bruised and bleeding head. She did not shed a single tear, nor did she make any comment to her brother's assailant. There was nothing to say.  
Duo looked back, then squeezed his eyes shut as best he could. A slow rush of blood filled his eyes, and he was forced to open them again. "Poor Deathscythe," he whispered clumsily. Both lips were thick and covered with dried blood, and his face was covered with bruises. Now if he could only get to Zech's fallen mobile suit while Heero's attention was averted...  
Relena heard short spasms of coughing fits, coming from the left. She glanced over. She was shocked at what she saw. It was Duo, bleeding, bruised, torn, beaten up, crawling towards the fallen Tallgeese. She had thought he was as good as dead, his Gundam having blown up quite unexpectedly for no reason. It was assumed that Wufei had fired the shot, but one could not be sure. And how was he still surviving?  
"Duo!" Relena called softly. She knew Heero would kill him if he saw his location. Not that it bothered her much, it was just the thought of killing altogether, and the taking advantage of the wounded.  
He shook his head ever so slightly, then rested a moment as fresh blood seeped through his sleeve. He looked down. He was leaving a trail of blood, which Heero would be able to pick up on as easily as seeing the Sun at twenty miles. "Three more yards..." he muttered, checking that Wing Zero was still turned.  
Suddenly a vicious grin spread across his face. "The God of Death has risen from the dead to fight once again!" he crowed madly, pulling himself up and boarding the Tallgeese. Zechs wasn't really unconscious, he was just trying to help. And Quatre had helped, at least that was what Duo thought. He was convinced that a tiny hydrogen needle had been shot at Deathscythe Hell [custom] when he opened the hatch, throwing him forward several yards. Wufei's Gundam had been placed directly behind, strategically [or not strategically] negotiating with Trowa at the time. This caused an onlooker to believe Wufei had been sneaking up, pretending, then coming around with a devastating piece of weaponry. But since the shot came from behind, Heero had no way of knowing the material used, and none of the Gundams had hydrogen needle-rockets.  
As he manuevered the Tallgeese into a battle stance, Wing Zero had turned around. Duo had little control on the Tallgeese, and with his injuries he was seriously at a disadvantage. But neither cared at the moment, and the battle raged on.  
  
  
"The button is in my Gundam," Trowa thought silently. He groped around behind the seat, finding a lever and a disengagement button. Then he felt the spiked surface of the detonation device. "I am sorry, forgive me." *click*  
  
  
The colony exploded.  
  
  
[author's note: Incomplete! I only have one more part to finish, but I haven't as of yet. Actually, I finished 1-4 last September...-_-;;;; Gomen nasai! Please R&R and tell me if you actually want me to finish it, because so far it doesn't seem as if it is turning out too well. Arigatou, thanks! Ja! 3] 


End file.
